There are currently a variety of different communication standards. Each communication standard may involve its own communication protocol, as well as communication connectors, sockets and/or ports, cables and the like. A communication standard is typically chosen so as to meet certain criteria. For example, data rate, number of devices to be connected, power consumption, or simplicity may be criteria on which a communication standard is chosen. The communication protocol of a particular communication standard may define formats for exchanging messages. For example, the universal serial bus (USB) defines a specific communication protocol and corresponding communication ports and connectors which are typically used in conjunction therewith.
It may be desirable to implement more than one communication protocol using a common connector.